Zechariah 10.1-12; John 10.11-18
Across the pages of the Bible, the ups and downs of life … sunrise, sunset … all is good, and then it isn’t …
The Bible has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember …
My home had s large family Bibles, illustrated by Albrecht Durer … dramatic, violent, wonderful, images … Moses on the mountain smashing the Stone Tablets … David’s victory over Goliath … Jesus baptized in the Jordan … the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse …
The Bible’s a remarkable book … a conversation of a entire culture, spanning 1800 years or so … people of faith, in different settings, bane and blessing, peace and war, victory and defeat … trying to figure it out … just like you, just like me.
The Bible has inspired greatness of soul and mind.
And driven some to madness.
Proclaimed by great orators, women and men of great faith … and used by grifters, shysters, and hucksters.
Families and nations have been divided by it.
Nations and families have been healed by it.
Wars have been fought over it.
And its words have brought peace.
Never let anyone tell you: “The Bible is a simple book” … it isn’t.
Parts of the Bible are - wonderfully simple … and beautiful.
Other parts of it, dense, strange, bewildering, weird, and unpleasant …
The Bible is a library!
A library of a thousand different voices - they argue with each other, they contradict one another … some clamor for law and order, some proclaim grace and peace … some are afraid of the stranger, and some cross boundaries and reach for the world.
It’s a complicated book, but it’s clear about a few things, crystal clear: God is truth … God is love … God is light …
God can be trusted when everything else is upside down.
God remains faithful even when we our faith fails …
we can run from God, but we can’t hide …
in the end, God will get us …
not to punish, but to redeem …
not to hurt, but to heal.
I’ve gone through a lot of Bibles in my lifetime - when I went to seminary, my Dad gave me a Bible … I have no idea what happened to it.
Since then, more Bibles - some fell apart with use … I’ve switched translations … I left a Bible on top of the car when putting something away, then drove off, and so did the Bible - I retraced my route, never saw it again. I hope it flew off the car intact, and maybe somebody found it and read it.
In Confirmation last week Sunday, the question came up about “science and religion.”
I said, “there is no conflict whatsoever!”
if I want to know something about the universe, I’ll check with my friends at JPL …
if I want to know why I am here and for what purpose, I’ll read the Bible.
Science tells me what and how!
The Bible tells me who and why!
Science tells me about my body …
The Bible tells me about my soul …
They’re good partners … they dance well together.
Both are complicated, but they get along well together.
You don’t need a theological degree to read the Bible …
You don’t need a driver’s license to drive a car …
but a license to drive requires knowledge and passing a test; it’s the law … to keep the roads as safe as possible … no absolute safety, of course, so we carry insurance.
The Presbyterian Church has always required a “licensed” ministry - knowledge and tests … like a driver’s license, it’s pretty good, and keeps things safe, but if a driver’s license doesn’t guarantee good driving, a theological degree doesn’t guarantee a trustworthy interpreter of the Bible.
Our tradition has also encouraged YOU, the laity, to read and study the Bible … to engage the ideas of faith from your own perspective of prayer, and reflection.
I encourage you to read your Bible.
It’s a slow process … folks try to read through the Bible in a timely manner, and some succeed at that, but I recommend random reading, at least for much of the time …
just pick it up,
let the pages fall where they may,
thumb through it, and read …
read often …
not a lot at any one time, but often.
Don’t worry about understanding … just read.
A pen is helpful - draw symbols in the column …
a heart beside a verse that speaks to your heart …
a question mark for something that seems odd, or strange …
an exclamation point for something that seems important … and little faces, a sad face for things that are sad …
and a smiley face for humor -
there’s humor in the Bible - some of it dry, some of it dark, but who can talk about life without a joke now and then?
and always underline …
make THE Bible YOUR Bible …
It’s good to rely on a minister to interpret the Bible … but it’s better for everyone if you’re working at it, too.
Don’t be afraid to use Google or Wikipedia … not everything on the internet is reliable. But it all helps.
The point is: keep on reading … become familiar with it … don’t hurry … it’ll take a lifetime, and then some … and the Holy Spirit helps us all along the way.
With all of this, I’m trying to be a good shepherd … that’s the thrust of today’s readings … in Zechariah, God says, I’ve got a problem with the shepherds! They’ve neglected my people.
Jesus applies the image of Shepherd to his own work - I am the good shepherd, says Jesus.
I’m trying to be a good shepherd … have I failed? Yeah, sure … let me count the ways.
But I’ve tried to be faithful … I’ve tried all my career to honor the Bible, treat it well, study it thoroughly, learn from it, grow in my life, and invite folks, just like you to enter into its pages, ponder its words, and open your hearts to the love of God!
When I wrote this sermon, a parade of people came to mind … people whom I was privileged to shepherd along the way, and people who were shepherds to me.
Toots Adkins … 5’2” - not a tooth in his mouth, lousy health, shoes too big, lived all by himself in a tarpaper shack at the head of Camp Creek … taught himself to read by reading the Bible … prayed with the voice of angels - Camp Creek Presbyterian Church, Camp Creek, West Virginia.
Marge Bennet, organist and choir director … her husband, David - piano player, drama producer … Third Presbyterian Church, Altoona, Pennsylvania
James Lee, president of Gulf Oil Company … travelled across the world to get back for an important Session meeting … Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh.
Ray Madson, volunteer fire fighter, contractor, a man who got things done … Radisson Presbyterian Church, Radisson, WI
Carol McMasters and her husband Clyde, First Presbyterian Church, Sapulpa, OK.
Bob Seymour, an architect, who heard the call of God, went to seminary, became a chaplain … St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Livonia, MI.
Don Battjes, high school classmate, puppeteer, museum administrator, and a faithful member of First Congregational Church, LA.
Sharleen Piereson, George Coulter, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena.
They’re gone now … they did the needed work … they were good shepherds, in their time and place.
God bless them, one and all … and now it’s your turn: God bless each of you …
Amen and Amen!
